Cocktail galss cooler



Cet. 2, 1962 w. P. PoucHERT COCKTAIL CLAss COOLER Filed Aug. 1'?, 1960 IN VEN TOR.

WHA 715e Q .pode/ser BY Moa, M Y MLC,

ATTOENEY 3,056,274 CCKTAIL GLASS COOLER Walter P. Pouchert, Hartland, Wis., assigner to Correct Equipment Corporation, Hartland, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Aug. 17, 1960, Ser. No. 50,2139 2 Claims. (Cl. S2-418) This invention relates to an improved chest-type refrigerator, particularly adapted to cool inverted glassware `such as cocktail glasses.

It is desirable that cocktail glasses and the like be thoroughly chilled prior to serving drinks therein. ln cocktail bars and the like it is desirable to have facilities available to chill relatively large numbers of cocktail glasses. Open-top chest-type refrigerators have been available `for this purpose and it is the object of the present invention to improve upon such refrigerators to more effectively circulate chilled air into the bowls of inverted glass ware for more uniform cooling thereof and to direct the How of chilled air along the floor of the refrigerator chest to minimize escape of such air into the room.

An important feature of the present invention is the louvered floor for support of the glassware. The louvers are inclined upwardly and laterally from one margin of the iloor towards an opposite margin in order to direct the ow of air laterally along the oor and somewhat upwardly into the bowls of inverted cocktail glasses and the like.

Other objects, advantages and features of the invention will appear from the following disclosure in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view partly in vertical section of a refrigerator cabinet embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section showing a portion of the device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view on a reduced scale of a chest embodying the present invention.

In many respects the open top refrigerator chest is conventional. It includes a counter top 11 and a storage chest compartment 12 within which glassware such as cocktail glasses 13 are stored in inverted position on a conventional air pervious wire rack 14 through which air may freely circulate. The walls of the chest 1t) are well insulated for refrigeration purposes. The refrigerator mechanism typically comprises a refrigerating mechanism indicated diagrammatically by compressor 16, evaporator 17 and an air impelling fan 18.

The evaporator 17 is mounted in a well 19 along one side or margin of the cabinet. The well has a raised floor 20 for the support of the evaporator 17. There is a sub-floor 23 spaced below door 20. Water drain 24 communicates with the space above the sub-floor 23, thus to drain away water periodically defrosted from the coils of the evaporator 17.

The compressor and motor (not shown) are heat insulated from the evaporator 17 and storage compartment 12 by the insulated walls 25, 26, and are ventilated through a grill 22.

The glassware supporting rack 14 may conventionally be supported on brackets 27, 28. Bracket 27 is securely fastened to the cabinet wall 1S. Bracket 28 is mounted on air ow partition 32 which may in turn be supported on stand olf legs 31 from cabinet wall 25. Partition 32 has at one margin an upstanding bale plate 33 flanged at 34 and 35 to provide an air outlet 36 for storage chamber 12 between chest wall 39 and auge 3S. Air outlet 36 is above the level of the rack 14 and draws air from above the glassware.

The air inlet 37 to the storage chamber 12 is at the States Patent O 3,056,274 Patented Oct. 2, 1962 margin of the chamber door opposite air outlet 36 and desirably is directly over the evaporator 17 and below the level of rack 14. Partition 32 has a downwardly projecting baille 33 to complete an air flow path along which the fan 18 may impel air in the direction of arrows 44 to recirculate over the coils `of the evaporator 17 and across the floor of the refrigerator storage chamber 12.

To control the flow of air according to the present invention, a series of louvers 41 are provided just below the level of the rack 14 and in an air `How channel 45 above partition 32. The louvers are inclined from the margin of the storage chamber floor adjacent air inlet 37 toward the margin of the storage chamber floor adjacent vair outlet 36 so as to direct the air to flow across the door of the storage chamber 12. The louvers 41 are also inclined somewhat upwardly so as to direct the air flow into the inverted bowls 42 of the cocktail glasses 13. But for the louvers 41, the ow of air would not be uniform along the floor of the storage chamber and there might be dead spots along the floor and over which cocktail glasses would not receive a proper volume of chilled air for adequate and uniform cooling of all the glasses in the refrigerator.

As best shown in FIG. 2, the air flows along channel 45 in the direction of arrows 44 and each louver 41 will intercept a given quantity of air which will be deflected upwardly into storage chamber 12. Accordingly, each cocktail glass 13 will receive substantially the same amount of chilled air for the uniform chilling of all such glasses. The louvers 41 desirably occupy about 50 percent of the height of the channel 45. The air is desirably chilled to about 15 F. The air returns from air outlet 36 to evaporator 17 through channel 4d below partition 32 on a path substantially parallel to the floor of the storage chamber 12.

Under ordinary circumstances the cooler will be operated only during late afternoon and evening and will be turned off during the morning and early afternoon. While the cooler is turned off it will automatically defrost and the rnelted frost will be discharged automatically through the `drain 24.

l claim:

1. A chest-type refrigerator adapted to cool inverted glassware and having an air pervious floor on which inverted glassware is supported, a source of cold and means for flowing air over said source, means beneath said door for forming parallel upper and lower air channels in said refrigerator for said air, said upper air channel having an air inlet at one margin of the oor and said lower channel having an air inlet at an opposite margin of the door, said upper channel having louvers inclined from said one margin .toward said other margin and upwardly toward said inverted glassware to direct air to flow unidirectionally along said floor from said one margin toward said other margin and upwardly into said inverted glassware.

`2. The device of claim 1 in which said source of cold .comprises the evaporator of a refrigerating machine, said evaporator being disposed substantially below the air inlet to the upper air channel, said air inlet to the lower channel being disposed above the level of the floor.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,240,528 Tanner May 6, 1941 2,250,557 Tull July 29, 1941 2,466,286 Stultz Apr. 5, 1949 2,525,560 Pabst Oct. lO, 1950 2,546,417 Anglin Mar. 27, 1951 

